Breaking Bread: When a recipe stalks you, it’s time to make it

For the past several weeks, I have been followed by ricotta dumplings.

I subscribe to several recipe newsletters. A few weeks ago, one touted a recipe for Italian Cheese Dumplings, made with ricotta.

The recipe seemed easy, so I put it aside to try later.

Soon after, another email arrived with a recipe for Ricotta Gnocchi.

I read over the recipe, and it was nearly identical to the first — a coincidence, I concluded.

Then, while dining at an Italian restaurant a week ago, there on its menu were Ricotta Gnocchi.

I chuckled to myself. Clearly, this dumpling is trying to get my attention.

When we think of gnocchi, we typically think of the heavy potato dumplings, which are most popular in the United States.

In Italy, however, gnocchi is a more generic term to define a variety of dumplings made from a range of ingredients, including cornmeal, bread, flour or even vegetables such as pumpkin and spinach — and, of course, ricotta.

We tend to eat gnocchi with tomato sauce, but that’s not always preferred for gnocchi. Roman gnocchi, for example, are made from semolina and typically are baked in the oven with butter and cheese.

Ricotta gnocchi often are dressed with a simple sauce of butter and herbs, such as parsley, or perhaps browned butter with sage.

With fresh herbs now plentiful, the time seemed right to try a batch of these stalkers to see whether they’re worth the attention they have been demanding.

I wasn’t disappointed.

I tweaked several recipes to come up with one I liked best.

Because summer is the time of year when many folks enjoy simpler meals, you might try a batch of these gnocchi with butter or a light tomato sauce.

Melt butter in a large skillet. Add minced garlic, if using, and keep warm over lowest flame.

Working in batches, drop dumplings into boiling water. For creamy centers, remove from water once dumplings rise to the top. For firmer centers, allow dumplings to continue to boil for 2 or 3 minutes once they reach the top.

When gnocchi have reached desired consistency, remove them with a slotted spoon and place in the melted butter.